Palm Injury Symptoms

The hand is commonly prone to injuries for being constantly used in carrying out activities of daily living. An injury to the palm may cause varieties of symptoms that could alter the ability to perform certain tasks. These symptoms may be significant for a specific nerve injury or they may occur collectively due to other forms of injury.

Nerve Injury

• When nerve injury occurs, it manifests symptoms such as numbness on the palm of the hands. This may be described as a pin and needle sensation. Some may experience a burning or tingling sensation on the skin called as paresthesia. There is a sensory deficit on the palm area where one may feel decreased sensation.

  The specific area where the symptoms may occur will depend on which nerve supplying the hands is involved. It may be inflicted with physical injuries that may be due to traumatic blow to the hands or wrist, entrapment syndrome of the nerves supplying the hands namely the ulnar and the median nerve.

  A common nerve entrapment syndrome along the wrist is the carpal tunnel syndrome. The median nerve is compressed as it passes through a tunnel along the wrist covered by fascia or tissues. This results to numbness and tingling sensation along the fingers especially on the thumb area.

Tendon Injury

• Tendons are tissues connecting a muscle to the bone. The muscles responsible for moving the wrist, hands and fingers come from the long tendons of the muscles in the forearm. The tendons are attached to the small bones on the fingers. Tendons are pulled by the muscles in order to initiate movements. This mechanism sometimes subject tendons to wear and tear. In severe cases, the tendons may rupture causing debilitating symptoms of intense pain, swelling and inflammation along the palm area.

  Pain is the initial manifested symptom with tendon injury. One cannot move the fingers without pain especially with difficulty in bending the fingers with tendon injury. Swelling then occurs followed by tenderness along the palm and fingers. Muscle weakness on the hands also occurs.

  The flexor tendons are commonly injured with palm injury. The American Academy of Orthopedic Surgeons indicated that the flexor tendons damage is due to cuts, athletic injuries, and in the presence of degenerative and inflammatory diseases such as arthritis.

Ligament Injury

• Ligament injury on the hands can also cause a painful palm symptom. Ligaments are tissues that connect bones to one another. They are responsible for bringing balance of movement among bones. Physical injuries such as a fall on an outstretched hand may impose ligamentous injury to the hands. Common symptoms of ligament injury in the hand and wrist are swelling and pain. Bruise may also appear and movement of the hand and wrist may induce pain caused by unstable ligament support.

Bone Injury

• An injury to the bones of the hands such as fracture may also cause significant deleterious symptoms of pain, swelling and inflammation that could interfere with movement of the fingers and wrist. An injury to the palm such as a crushing force may result to fracture. Similar symptoms of weakness, pain, swelling and inflammation are present.